Apart
from being the perfect bahu in reel life, Divyanka is also a trained
mountaineer, she completed a mountaineering course from the Nehru
Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi. (Photo: Instagram)

04 / 28

Plus,
this gorgeous bahu of Indian TV industry has also done a rifle shooting
course from Bhopal Rifle Academy and has won many medals in Riflery.
(Photo: Instagram)

Divyanka
got acknowledgment in the TV industry with Zee TV's serial 'Banoo Mai
Teri Dulhann' in which she assumed double part and won different honours
for her impressive performance in the show. (Photo: Instagram)

This
exceptionally skilled artist was a part of the second season of
'Ssshhhh...Phir Koi Hai' on Star Plus and furthermore assumed the part
of Rashmi Sharma, a housewife in parody dramatization titled 'Mrs. and
Mr. Sharma Allahabadwale' on SAB TV. (Photo: Instagram)

Before
getting into a relationship with Vivek Dahiya, Divyanka dated TV
performing artist Ssharad Malhotra for a long time yet at long last said
a final farewell to him as she was experiencing tough time and amid
that timeframe, she found an awesome companion in her co-star Vivek
Dahiya. (Photo: Instagram)

On
'Nach Baliye' the gorgeous jodi battled out with 10 other couples for
three months and being one of the most popular television couple with a
huge fanbase, they emerged as the ultimate winners of the dance reality
show. (Photo: Instagram)

Indian
television's cutest couple, Divyanka and Vivek are going to celebrate
their first marriage anniversary on July 8 and they think winning the
trophy has made it even more special. (Photo: Instagram)

Divyanka
Tripathi looking gorgeous in traditional clothes, she became the
national sensation for her superb performances on television. (Photo:
Instagram)

27 / 28

“It’s
a gift from our fans and from us to each other. It’s the most memorable
gift one could get on their first anniversary and we will cherish this
trophy and win all the more in the years to come,” they said after
winning the dance reality show 'Nach Baliye'.

28 / 28

The
cute couple showed their gratitude by gifting iPhone 7 plus smartphones
to their whole team and thanked them for their hard work. (Photo:
Instagram)

you
have seen her spreading joy on-screen many a time. Sarah Khan’s
inherent innocence could make anyone put the remote down and fix their
gaze on her. Charming, beautiful, well mannered, talented – there are
many words to describe the young actress, but her playful nature along
with her child-like voice are features that stand out. She might be
playing in the under-25 team for now, but this, by no way, means, that
she has fewer achievements to boast about. Along with a couple of
nominations and a recent award, she has several successful serials to
brag about, and has a lot more to offer in her repertoire. - See more
at: http://magtheweekly.com/03-09dec2016/cover.asp#sthash.v8ouQgd0.dpuf

ou
have seen her spreading joy on-screen many a time. Sarah Khan’s
inherent innocence could make anyone put the remote down and fix their
gaze on her. Charming, beautiful, well mannered, talented – there are
many words to describe the young actress, but her playful nature along
with her child-like voice are features that stand out. She might be
playing in the under-25 team for now, but this, by no way, means, that
she has fewer achievements to boast about. Along with a couple of
nominations and a recent award, she has several successful serials to
brag about, and has a lot more to offer in her repertoire. - See more
at: http://magtheweekly.com/03-09dec2016/cover.asp#sthash.v8ouQgd0.dpuf

Pakistan’s drama industry has taken the world by storm
and recently there have been teleplays that have managed to do well
when aired. Ek Thi Marium is one biographical play that was
well-received when it was aired on Defence Day 2016; had it been
released in cinema on that day and later played on TV, it would have
helped both the cinema and television industry. However, it was watched
by many since it was released on a historically important day and
slightly preceded the conflict at the border.

The flick is based on the life and martyrdom of
Pakistan Air Force’s fighter pilot Marium Mukhtiar (Sanam Baloch in the
title role) who convinces her parents to let her enroll in the Pakistan
Air Force as GD Pilot and passes it with flying colours. How she handles
the tough training to become an ace pilot and her family’s reaction is
shown in the first half of the film; the latter half deals with her life
in the Academy and as a Fighter Pilot. Shani Arshad’s background score
and Zeb Bangash’s song makes you want to watch the film as they
perfectly gel with the happenings on screen.

The script by veteran writer, Umera Ahmed was very
well-researched and well-written but since the flick was made for the
smaller screen, it seemed too TV-ish in the cinema. In films, things
happen rather fast but here the pace was slow. The dialogues were
natural and that’s what helped them land too close to the heart. Since
the year shown wasn’t that old, it was quite relatable. However, the Air
Force scenes at the Academy or in the Mess could have been added to
give it a touch of realism, like they did in Sunehray Din and Alpha
Bravo Charlie. Yes, the aerial sequences were well-shot and couldn’t
have been executed better but the ending was a little too early and a
wee bit abrupt. For a viewer who has grown on the climatic sequence of
Nishan-e-Haider Rashid Minhas filmed 30 years ago, a little human touch
would have helped here.

Sanam Baloch returns to acting with this telefilm and
manages to impress all, making new fans as well as entertaining her
faithful ones. She is undoubtedly the star here as she gets trained like
female cadets, walk like them and by the time you are through with the
film, you actually believe that she was a Flying Officer rather than an
actress portraying one. Hina Bayat and Behroze Sabzwari as parents, Agha
Mustafa Hassan as fiancé, Sajda Syed as Dadi and Sharmeen Kashif and
Hadi bin Arshad as siblings, all do a commendable job, especially the
seasoned veterans as parents. The final scene, where they accept the
award on behalf of their martyred daughter will make you cry even if you
didn’t want to shed a tear.

Last year, Bin Roye was released in cinemas and this
year its drama version followed. Producers of this venture could have
done the same thing, but they made a telefilm instead of a movie and
showed it on the big screen. Better grading, extended climax and scenes
like Aagaya Hai Kyun Kakul could have added flavour to this already
treasured project. The return of Sanam Baloch is something of a present
for her followers because she is one of the better actresses in the
country and must follow her instincts like Ek Thi Marium. •

Pakistan’s drama industry is blessed with exceptional talent.
Our dramas have always had a streak of finesse with respect to their
story, script, direction and, obviously, the actors. In the past few
years, Pakistani television has exuded a breath of fresh air after new
faces with extraordinary talent entered the métier. Among this talented
lot, a lady named Sumbul Iqbal stood out with clichéd, yet admirable
characters to her credit and became a household name with hit drama
serials like Roag, Meray Khawab Raiza Raiza, Dil-e-Abad, Morr Us Gali
Ka, Hawa Rait Aur Angan, Raju Rocket, Neelum Kinaray to name a few. MAG
chats with the young lass as she spills the beans about her career and
aspiration on becoming the most sought after actress in Pakistan.

The 26-year-old star is currently enjoying all the
attention she is getting for her new avatar. According to her, a lot has
changed ever since she joined the industry. “Things have changed
immensely. There is a lot of competition among co-stars and things
(style of work) have developed gradually. Actors have started
concentrating on themselves. There is a lot of modernity; everyone has
something new to offer. Everybody has groomed (themselves) and so have
I,” she says candidly. Sumbul believes that actors are now more
connected to their audiences, sharing each and every second of their
lives with their fans and things have changed on the whole with time and
social media, especially has a huge role to play in this.

Her drama serial Ghayal, wherein she appears
opposite singer-turned-actor Goher Mumtaz, is currently on-air and she
deems it to be a rather different story. “The drama is doing well so
far, as it is based on an unusual subject that caters to the society. It
has a message for its audience and does not revolve around the typical
rona dhona or saas-bahu story; instead it is a thriller, filled with
suspense,” she asserts, while she gushes about receiving good response
from her viewers.

Like any other male or female actor, Sumbul too,
aims for the big screen and has also been one of the lucky few to have
received offers from across the border after her play Meray Khwab Raiza
Raiza was aired on an Indian channel. Considering the uncertainty of
relations between India and Pakistan, with celebrities as popular as
Fawad and Mahira being asked to leave India, I ask the young actress
about her expected entrance into Bollywood, to which she responds
cautiously. “I cannot disclose anything unless things get finalised
because I have only received the script up till now. I don’t know what
exactly I will be doing in it and I don’t want to end up doing something
where I don’t represent Pakistan properly,” she reveals and explains
further, “Keeping in mind the situation between the two countries at the
moment, I am going to take a very well-thought-out decision. If I think
the character is very good, conveys a message and allows me to
represent Pakistan in a good light, only then will I agree on doing it.”

One does not need to rethink about the skills Sumbul
possesses when it comes to acting, but one may feel that the actress
has been stereotyped with the usual damsel-in-distress roles. The
actress, however, has contrary views about the supposition. “Women shown
in our dramas are usually there to gain sympathies from the audience,
which is mostly because females who are watching them want to see
themselves in those characters. Also, people in our industry are not
ready to experiment at the moment. We usually portray (the life of) our
viewers which appeals to those watching it.” Even though she has done
two projects where her characters have had a witty side (one of her
serial’s Raju Rocket also won her an award for her role), but these
characters, according to her, are only appreciated occasionally.

“As far as comedy roles are concerned, I would love
to do them because I can relate to such characters. However, they are
not done a lot here and people do not make comedy dramas as such, but if
they do I would definitely want to experiment with my characters,” she
says, opening up about her will to experiment with her roles.

"I am never satisfied with my character or myself. I feel like there is always something better that I can do."

Sumbul says she has received film offers in Pakistan
too, but was unsure about the ventures. “I did receive one or two
offers, but I did not accept them because I could not decide.
Nevertheless, I wish to work in a Pakistani movie before being cast in
an Indian film,” she wishfully states.

Sumbul will soon be disclosing about her upcoming
film and says she has a lot in store for her fans. “I am working on my
first film at the moment during which there will be a short break from
TV, though Ghayal will be on-air in the meanwhile,” she says, while not
revealing much about the project.

The actress is not one to fall for glitzy awards,
instead, she is satisfied when she receives love and positive feedback
from her viewers alone. “One does feel happy on receiving a reward for
something worthwhile. I was nominated for Roag, but I did not win the
award. However, that does not mean that the audience didn’t like me. For
me, getting feedback from the audience is more than an award. If you do
get one, it motivates you, it strengthens your personality,” Sumbul
shares. She is quite certain that awards in our country are not credible
enough for a person to know their worth. “Until and unless you do not
step out of your circle, and do not reward a deserving person, then it
cannot be called an award. There is a lot of lobbying and that is
(probably) the reason I didn’t get the award when I was nominated. But I
also think that the person who won back then was more deserving and
better in the jury’s eye. For me, being appreciated by my audience is
more important,” she retorts bluntly.

When asked about ways to sustain in this industry,
Sumbul sounds determined as she responds with an astute answer, “To be
successful in life, and especially in showbiz, you need to be very
patient. So, I do what I like and avoid limiting myself. For the last
three years, I was not much into fashion and was so busy with my
projects that I could not do anything else. Now that I have done all the
conventional characters, I feel like I can work on roles that give me
pleasure. But patience is the key to success at the end of the day.”
Talking about her growth during all these years, she adds, “I have
definitely seen myself grow as an actor in all these years. It is
disastrous for you to put a full-stop; one should never stop growing
with respect to life and the work they do,” Sumbul proudly utters as she
signs out.